It's official! Hawaii is a marriage equality state

It's official. Hawaii is now a marriage equality state as of yesterday when Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed the bill into law. And as the video below shows, the final vote in the Senate was contentious. But it should inspire the lgbt community.  Things worth having are worth fighting for, no matter how hard the fight to come may be.

Bryan Fischer and the 'ex-gay Neo Nazi porn star' who was 'swallowed by Satan'

So while Hawaii becomes the 15th marriage equality state (to be followed by Illinois), Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association chose to interview man who claims to be an ex-gay Neo Nazi porn star who was "swallowed by Satan."

What does all of this mean? Other than the fact that moderate Christians need to step up and speak out against these crazy people before more people turn against their religion, I don't know. I'm still scratching my head over this one:

'Fox News bungling coverage of lgbt discrimination' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Fox News' Disastrous Coverage Of LGBT Discrimination Case - How Fox News continues to distort stories regarding lgbt equality should be a front page article in all of the lgbt publications. But it won't be because we are desensitized. 

238 Trans People Murdered Worldwide In The Past Year - This here is a terrible development. We often forget about our transgender brothers and sisters. 

Meet The Anti-LGBT Extremists Behind The Campaign To Repeal California's Transgender Protections - And I put the blame on ignorance expressed in this article. 

Congress Votes To End The Outdated Ban On HIV Organ Transplants And Research - Holy smokes! Congress did something useful. Well it did kinda snow in South Carolina last night. 

 Rios: Report On Gay Waiter Who Received Anti-Gay Message A 'Ruse' To Help ENDA - Okay, who leaked this to Rios? Whoever did gets dropped in my shark tank.

Anti-gay spokesman spins ENDA horror story via distorted comments

Matt Barber

Another day, another religious right anti-gay smear.

This one is coming from an old expert in the field of anti-gay propaganda, Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel. He recently authored a piece, ‘Gays’ Admit ENDA Game: Outlaw Christian Morality, which spouts the usual nonsense about gays supposedly wanting to "criminalize Christianity."

Based upon comments from various lgbt activists which he freely distorts, Barber spins the old religious right horror story that we are out to put folks like him in jail or take away their freedoms.

One of the folks whose words Barber distorts happens to be Chai Feldblum, head of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission:

Chai Feldblum is a lesbian activist and sexual nihilist lawyer who, in the past, has publicly supported legalized polygamy and bisexual polyamory. She is Obama’s recess-appointed commissioner to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). As ENDA’s chief framer, Ms. Feldblum would be charged with its primary enforcement. This is the classic fox-guarding-the-hen-house scenario.

In the past, Ms. Feldblum has repeatedly and candidly summed up the mindset behind the bill. She has publicly stated that the battle between religious freedom and unfettered sexual license (aka “gay rights”) is a “zero-sum game,” meaning the two cannot possibly coexist in harmony. It’s a “winner takes all” approach.

When asked about the Christian business owner or religious organization that morally objects to hiring people openly engaged in the homosexual lifestyle, Ms. Feldblum snapped: “Gays win, Christians lose.” And where Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed right to religious liberty comes into conflict with the postmodern concept of homosexual “rights,” Ms. Feldblum has admitted having “a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win.”

First of all, Feldblum does not support legalized polygamy or "bisexual polyamory." And I doubt she is a "sexual nihilist," whatever that is.

Secondly, let's look at her comment which Barber skimmed. When one reads what she actually said, it is less intimidating than what Barber implies:

Ensuring that LGBT people can live honestly and safely in all aspects of their social lives requires that society set a baseline of non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. If individual business owners, service providers and employers could easily exempt themselves from such laws by making credible claims that their belief liberty is burdened by the law, LGBT people would remain constantly vulnerable to surprise discrimination. If I am denied a job, an apartment, a room at a hotel, a table at a restaurant or a procedure by a doctor because I am a lesbian, that is a deep, intense and tangible hurt. That hurt is not alleviated because I might be able to go down the street and get a job, an apartment, a hotel room, a restaurant table or a medical procedure from someone else. The assault to my dignity and my sense of safety in the world occurs when the initial denial happens. That assault is not mitigated by the fact that others might not treat me in the same way.

Thus, for all my sympathy for the evangelical Christian couple who may wish to run a bed and breakfast from which they can exclude unmarried straight couples and all gay couples, this is a point where I believe the “zero sum” nature of the game inevitably comes into play. And, in making the decision in this zero sum game, I am convinced society should come down on the side of protecting the liberty of LGBT people. Once an individual chooses to enter the stream of economic commerce by opening a commercial establishment, I believe it is legitimate to require that they play by certain rules. If the government tolerated the private exclusionary policies of such individuals in the commercial sector, such toleration would necessarily come at the cost of gay people’s sense of belonging and safety in society. Just as we do not tolerate private racial beliefs that adversely affect African-Americans in the commercial arena, even if such beliefs are based on religious views, we should similarly not tolerate private beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity that adversely affect LGBT people.

In other words, Feldblum believes that a business should not be allowed to discriminate against lgbts no matter the so-called "deeply held personal beliefs" of the owner.

Thirdly, Feldblum never "snapped Gays win, Christians lose.” In fact, she never said it.  The claim that Feldblum said "gays win, Christians lose" is a lie which has been already debunked several times, including by yours truly in a post early last year.  In that post, I uncovered that the claim was derived from a deliberate twisting of her words from another religious right spokesperson.

Matt Barber has nothing to worry about because no one in this country can be criminalized or have their freedoms taken away for being a hypocritical liar or a so-and-so who distorts Christianity for their own selfish purposes.

Although he certainly makes a good case for such a criminalization, doesn't he?  (just kidding)

American Family Association's version of Christianity includes not correcting articles on Benghazi

Via it's supposed news site, One News Now, the American Family Association implies that it presents news from a "Christian point of view."

This of course means heavy on the anti-gay articles, as well as articles bashing Obama and featuring false claims of anti-Christian persecution.

But in its zeal, One News Now misses the irony of what it covers via its headlines. There are several stories talking about how Christians are being attacked and not allowed to express their faith without reprisal in this country:

In NY: Saying no to 'gay wedding' puts your business at risk 

Chaplains withdraw from, sue training program over alleged harassment 

 AFA honors vets, concerned over their religious liberty Persecution of Christians should concern all faiths

 It's rather telling that the headlines of the above article appear on the same page as the following:

 Florida community pushes back against Islam in school textbook 

In other words, let's not attack the Christians when the Muslims will do just nicely.

But nowhere is AFA's strange idea of "Christian point of view more evident than in its reporting of the latest Benghazi controversy.

For the edification of those who are not aware, 60 Minutes came out with a "shocking" new report regarding the Benghazi controversy which has plagued the Obama Administration. Supposedly the report poses new questions as to the Obama Administration's claims about the tragedy. That is until 60 Minutes was forced to backtrack last week because it turns out its source told huge lies about where he was on that awful night. The investigative reporter, Lara Logan, apologized and acknowledged that the source was not truthful. The article featuring this report has been pulled from CBS's webpage.

This new revelation has cast a serious pall over 60 Minutes' credibility everywhere, except on One News Now. AFA's news site continues to feature two articles published before the new revelations:

 Judicial Watch: '60 Minutes' stripped away lies about Benghazi attack  

Maginnis: Report on Benghazi attack proves Obama critics were right 

As of now, One News Now has yet to post any articles acknowledging the new revelations about the 60 Minutes Benghazi report.

And don't even bother to type in a correction on the comments section of the two articles above because both sections have been closed meaning you can't make a comment.

Now we all know that Jesus didn't say a word about homosexuality, but someone should inform One News Now and the AFA what He said about lying and bearing false witness.

'DO NOT follow Pat Robertson's advice about what to ask gay son' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Dear parents, if your son comes to you with the news that he is gay, do not - and I repeat - DO NOT do what Pat Robertson advises you to do in this clip:

 In other news: 

 Conservative Coalition: Repeal of California Transgender Student Rights Law Will Qualify for Ballot - Ugh. Prop 8 redux with some of the same nauseating players.

New Jersey Judge Upholds Ban On Ex-Gay Therapy For Minors - Sweet!! Good news out of New Jersey. 

TWO Launches New Website To Educate About Science and Sexual Orientation - As always, one of my mentors, Wayne Besen, and the folks of Truth Wins Out are ahead of the curve.  

NOM Sure Has A Lot Of Politicians to Hold Accountable - NOM loses again. Answers back with empty threats.

Anti-gay 'news site' now pushing bogus book on 'black mob violence'

According to the American Family Association's One News Now,  folks should not only fear "transgender teachers" or "anti-Christian persecution in the military" but also the supposed "epidemic of black-on-white mob violence."

Colin Flaherty, author of White Girl Bleed a Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It, contends there is an epidemic of black-on-white mob violence across the nation that the media not only condones, but denies.

"Black mob violence exists exponentially out of proportion and the press is ignoring, condoning, denying it – so I document that with videos and links," he tells OneNewsNow. "I don't do causes; I don't do solutions; I also don't do apologies. My message is simple: it's happening."

Syndicated black columnist Thomas Sowell says of the book: "Reading Colin Flaherty’s book made painfully clear to me that the magnitude of this problem is greater than I had discovered from my own research. He documents both the race riots and the media and political evasions in dozens of cities."

White Girl Bleed a Lot documents more than 500 examples of recent black mob violence. But in an article for PJMedia, Flaherty writes that "the same reporters who dutifully produce stories about black caucuses, black churches, black colleges, and other race-based institutions suddenly become color-blind" 

Sounds like a book custom-made to exploit the racist beliefs and fears of white individuals who call themselves Christians, no doubt a vast majority of One News Now's audience. However, because Flaherty's book and his claims - he seems to write a lot about the supposed "epidemic" of "black mob violence" - generally fly under the radar,  they have not been scrutinized as they should be.

Luckily, writer Alex Pareene of Salon has been keeping an eye on Flaherty and his claims. In a post from last year, he points out the many discrepancies in Flaherty's book:

So, this Flaherty guy is pretty sure that there’s a black crime wave going on, and also that there is a conspiracy — by the media and the police — to cover up this crime wave by not always pointing out when the perpetrators of crimes are black. His evidence? YouTube clips and newspaper comment sections, mostly. The book seems to be a collection of literally every single crime Flaherty could find, over the last few years, involving black perpetrators and white victims (though some involve incidents where the victims were black, and in many incidents the “victim” was property owned by white people), plus a lot of material on roving, rampaging gangs of black teenagers.

 . . . If you look for every example of crimes committed by black people in every American city over the last three to five years, you’ll find enough examples to make it sound like a lot of crime, because America is a violent country with a lot of crime, a lot of poverty and a lot of impoverished minority neighborhoods located conveniently close to much wealthier white neighborhoods (and business districts where everything is also owned by white people).

But this epidemic of racial crime isn’t an epidemic. It’s barely a blip. According to the FBI, there were 575 crimes motivated by anti-white bias in 2010, nationwide. There were 545 anti-white crimes in 2009 and 716 in 2008. There were more than 2,000 crimes motivated by anti-black bias in each one of those years. Of course, the book insinuates that all black-on-white crime is racially motivated, but even by that standard things are looking pretty rosy in America right now.

The violent crime rate has been plummeting since its peak in the early 1990s, which now looks like the crest of one of America’s periodic (and slightly mysterious) waves of violent crime. (In the long term, the homicide rate has been steadily falling for hundreds of years. We are genuinely much more civilized now than we used to be.) Back when this country actually had race riots, and not just large gangs of kids briefly fighting and scaring white people on summer nights, there were … actual race riots, motivated by racial tensions. It’s absurd to imagine a secret pandemic of black-on-white violence motivated by anti-white racism that the media and all of our law enforcement agencies conspire to keep secret for reasons of political correctness. There would have to be hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of crimes that no one is reporting in order for the current violent crime rate to come close to matching what it was a generation ago. There can’t be an epidemic of black crime that coincides with the least amount of total crime in America since the 1960s.

The point, of course, isn’t to make an argument supported by statistics. It’s to marshal all available anecdotal data to support the paranoid white conservatives’ gut feeling that this country is on the brink of Charlie Manson’s Helter Skelter.

The  question has to be asked just what was One News Now's motivation in running an article, one-sided of course, on Flaherty's claim - a claim which serves to demonize African-Americans. It should send a warning to the black community to not distance itself from the lgbt community.

From the American Family Association's perspective, blacks and gays are in the same boat and the organization is swiftly attempting to drill holes in the bottom of that boat.

Know Your LGBT History - Moms Mabley

 

She was a legendary comedian and she was also family. Thanks to Whoopi Goldberg, Moms Mabley will be finally getting her due:

Whoopi Goldberg brings the story of America’s first female stand-up comic, Jackie Moms Mabley to HBO with Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley, premiering November 18. Goldberg—who put up her own money to produce and direct the documentary and went to Kickstarter for additional funds—told Showbiz 411 at the film’s Tribeca screening earlier this year:

We celebrate all the other firsts. Why haven’t we celebrated the first stand up comedian who was a woman and had been doing it since 1928?

Born Loretta Mary Aitken, Mabley began working as a stand-up in the late 1920s, and made a living on the Chitlin’ Circuit—the vaudeville clubs, speakeasies and theaters throughout the eastern, southern, and upper mid-west areas of the United States where African-American performers were able to perform during segregation.

In the early days of her performances, Mabley wore androgynous clothes on stage and worked blue, performing XXX-rated routines. As she developed her act,  Mabley took on the persona of granny or great auntie, wearing a floral house dress and a drooping hat. She took out her dentures for her stand-up routine—at the time dentures were common—and riffed on her character’s desire for young men and her distaste of old ones, addressing the imbalance of sexual power, as well as hitting on politics, race, war, and other social issues.

  . . .  A regular performer at both the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater, Mabley appeared in several films, recorded over twenty albums of her stand up comedy–some on her own label Poontan’–and was embraced in the late 1960s and 70s by television, appearing on Ed Sullivan Show, Merv Griffin, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the Grammys and other shows. At age 75 she recorded “Abraham, Martin and John,” scoring a Top 40 hit, making her the oldest person to do so (and she still holds that record!). At the peak of her career she was making $10,000 a week, breaking the ground and laying the foundation for women comics like Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers to the Queens of Comedy, Kathy Griffin and Ellen DeGeneres. Moms Mabley, a businesswoman and lesbian during segregation, crossed the color barrier and kicked ass on stage and off.

At age 79,  she came full circle, coming out loud and proud as a lesbian and became, according to Queers in History . . .

Check out the rest of this excellent article by Lisa Derrick for full details on Moms Mabley's life.

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Religious right angry at Senate Republicans over ENDA vote' and other Friday midday news briefs

Social Conservatives Flummoxed By Senate GOP Silence On LGBT Anti-Bias Bill - Cut them some slack. I mean you can't expect them to constantly repeat your lying anti-gay talking points without getting tired at least sometimes.

 Fact Checking Liberty Counsel's New Video On "Religious Hostility In The Military" - And guess what? There are a lot of things wrong with the Liberty Counsel's "facts." 

"Religious Liberty": The Next Big Front in the Culture Wars - And now that we recognize this, how do we find a cognitive argument against it.  

Minority Legislators Prove Key To Illinois Marriage Equality Victory - Just like everyone else, when minority legislators and communities in general aren't taking for granted by marriage equality supporters, they tend to reap success.  

Fondly Remembering Obama's Days As A Gay, Cocaine-Using Hustler - When Obama Derangement Syndrome combines with homophobia, it gets damned ugly.

Hawaii marriage equality opposition becoming pitiful as reality slowly sets in

As Hawaii inches closer and closer to becoming the 16th marriage equality state, the opposition is becoming louder, a little more aggressive, but just as sad:

'Group celebrates Veterans Day by slamming gay soldiers' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Cookie Johnson, Magic's Wife, On Supporting Her Gay Son E.J. - We need to hear more stories about parents of color supporting their lgbt children. And this is really one of the best.

FRC honors Veterans Day by claiming gay soldiers have ruined our military - Celebrating Veterans Day by attacking gay soldiers. That's the Family Research Council for you. 

 Hawaii SB1 Protests Grow Louder As Bill Moves Forward - Anti-marriage equality protestors are fighting us hard in Hawaii but we will prevail.

 General Motors to Extend Benefits to All Same-Sex Married Couples - Good for General Motors!

  Marco Rubio To Headline Anti-Gay Fundraiser - Sorry, Rubio but no "tolerance" for this crap.

'Porno' Pete LaBarbera sad over Illinois marriage equality victory

Earlier, I wondered how one of our "favorite" anti-lgbt activist, Peter LaBarbera, would take the news that marriage equality had been passed in his residential state of Illinois.

We don't have to wait any longer to hear his whining:

"It's very sad to see the Land of Lincoln now on the verge of officially defying God with our marriage laws . . . No matter what happens through the law or what politicians do, two men will never really be married, nor will two women. Marriage is one man, one woman.Sadly, as this state, and increasingly the country, kicks God to the curb, we're setting up all sorts of new-fangled legal arrangements – and that's exactly what homosexual so-called marriage is. It will now be easier in schools to propagandize in favor of so-called homosexual marriage.We will see freedom threatened across the state from people who don't want to support, for example, homosexual marriage through their own private business. They don't want to give that as an employee benefit, benefits based on a counterfeit marriage." - Peter LaBarbera in an interview with One News Now

Blah, blah, blah. Cry me a river, Peter. Or in other words:

Election special - LGBT community rocks with stunning victories, NOM suffers losses

Last night's elections was a massive success for the lgbt community while at the same time a disaster for folks who oppose lgbt equality. Let's take a few look a some news briefs illustrating this:  

Victory Fund celebrates big wins for LGBT candidates - The Victory Fund breaks down all of our successes from last night.

 Gay Rights Victories Pile Up In 2013 - A nice overview of the year in general. If this keeps up, Time magazine should give the lgbt community the "Person of the Year" award.

 Mayor Annise Parker wins re-election to third, final term - One gay mayor wins her re-election.

 Seattle gets first gay mayor: Ed Murray - While Seattle elects its first openly gay mayor.

Illinois lawmakers vote to allow gay marriages - And let's not forget that yesterday, Illinois made it number 15. Hopefully Hawaii will be 16. I wonder how Peter LaBarbera is holding up to the news that he now lives in a marriage equality state.  

NOM living out one horrible week (and it’s only Wednesday) - MEANWHILE, Jeremy Hooper breaks it down as to why the National Organization for Marriage lost has already lost the week. And as he says, "it's only Wednesday."

'Christian' group continues to victimize transgender child

In its attempt to defeat a recently passed bill in California which would protect the rights of transgender students, a religious right group, Pacific Justice Institute, helped to spread a story about a Colorado transgender high school student allegedly harassing other female students in the bathroom.

The story was a lie and it was debunked as such, causing several publications to issue retractions or pull their reporting of the story. PJI tried to backtrack,  attempting to claim that it was "merely" highlighting the fact that a transgender student was using the bathroom and putting other students' privacy at risk. However, PJI continues to target the child, causing her to go on suicide watch.

The organization has just come out with a video showcasing the supposed "victims" of the transgender student's alleged harassment; a harassment that the organization admitted NEVER HAPPENED. This is goes beyond shameful. The idea that a supposed Christian organization would continue to push a debunked story even though it is specifically harming an innocent child is reprehensible on so many levels:



Hat tip to Gayrva.com and especially The Transadvocate who led the way in debunking this awful lie.

'Family Research Council spokesman caught lying about support for Ugandan anti-gay bill' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Peter Sprigg flat-out lies; claims FRC never supported Ugandan law that it *TOTALLY* did support - And this is how you catch religious right spokespeople in lies. 

Pat Robertson Created Group Behind Massive Anti-Gay Hate In Hawaii’s Marriage Hearings - Those who oppose marriage equality in Hawaii are throwing everything against the wall to keep it from happening, so of course the "diseased homosexual" lie comes up.  

Why The Hawaiian Citizens’ Filibuster Against Marriage Equality Accomplishes Nothing - And Zack Ford points out why these efforts will most likely fail.  

False Right Wing Talking Points Never Die - That's lesson 1 you learn when tracking anti-gay lies. No matter how many times the lie is refuted, these folks will repeat it

Bryan Fischer voices what the religious right attempts to hide

My honest opinion is that all of this junk religious right groups are pushing against ENDA is a dodge. The truth is with or without religious exemptions, many of these groups just don't want to support the idea that lgbt citizens should be protected from job and housing discrimination.

And why is that? Well no one can articulate this better than Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association:



There are so many things inaccurate with what this man says that it will make your head spin. 

Surprise! Children react positively to marriage equality and the world doesn't explode

Anti-gay groups are constantly complaining that any idea of marriage equality would harm children by supposedly confusing them or warping their minds. I think this video of children, ages 5-13, viewing two videos of marriage equality proposals destroys that silly theory.

'Senate likes ENDA, Boehner hates ENDA' and other Monday midday news briefs

Republican Senator Dean Heller Becomes Critical 60th Vote For LGBT Job Protections - The good news? ENDA looks like it will be approved by the Senate. 

John Boehner Opposes ENDA, Dealing Blow To Bill's Chances - Bad news? It's opposed by Speaker of the House Boehner, the same guy who spent an obscenely amount of taxpayer money on a crappy DOMA defense.  

Maine Congressman Michael Michaud Comes Out As Gay: ‘But Why Should It Matter?’ - Other than ENDA, THIS has been the talk of the morning. And he running for governor of Maine, too. Will Maine get a gay governor? I hope so.  

Klingenschmitt & Will Perkins: Gays Want Marriage Rights In Order To Gain Access To Children - Of course this makes no sense at all, but does it EVER make sense with these people?

How An 'Anti-Gay' Mississippi Town Stopped A Gay Bar From Opening - What was that song about Mississippi by Nina Simone? 'GODDAMN MISSISSIPPI!'

Know Your LGBT History - The Gay Deceivers

This trailer - and movie if you can find it - is something to watch the next time you complain about the lgbt images on television and the movies these days. The Gay Deceivers (1969) was a "comedy" which told the story of two men seeking to avoid military service by pretending they are gay. The following is from wikipedia:

  According to gay film historian Vito Russo in his book The Celluloid Closet, co-star Michael Greer, who played the flamboyantly gay Malcolm and who was himself gay, tried to work with the screenwriter and director to minimize the negativity of the characterization and present Malcolm in a positive light.

I don't think Greer was successful.

Supposedly it featured a twist ending of the two men not having to serve because the two investigators themselves were gay and were plotting to keep heterosexual men out of the military.

While watching this trailer, keep telling yourself, "Thank God they don't make movies like this anymore, Thank God they don't make movies like this anymore . . ."

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Anti-gay activist claims lgbts stole the word 'equality'' and other Friday midday news briefs

Professional anti-gay would appreciate it if you stop stealing his English language; he owns it—it's his - Porno Pete LaBarbera HATES for lgbts to use the word "equality." How ironic that I have so many choice words I can use to describe him. But such language would cause Armageddon.

Most Americans Don't Know People Can Be Fired For Being Gay, Only Half Support Law Preventing It - Thank you American media for keeping us halfway ignorant. 

Hawaii Republicans Try To Block Marriage Equality From Advancing - You can only keep away a rushing tide of momentum for only a second if at all.

  'A Day With HIV' Aims To Fight Stigma And Raise AIDS Awareness - An excellent post! 

FRC Asks God To 'Intervene To Prevent; ENDA From Passing - I think God has more important things to attend to.

Religious right counting on transgender horror stories to stop ENDA

Oh the lies they tell about ENDA!

Just as I predicted.

As the United States Senate gets closer to a vote on ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act), religious right groups are pulling out the "do you want your children taught by crossdressers, drag queens, and transgenders" card.

Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition (who always seems to be strangely silent except when folks start talking about ENDA) had this to say:

Andrea Lafferty tells OneNewsNow that the first impact might see transgendered people teaching in public schools. "We believe that children need a psychologically stable and emotionally secure environment to learn," says Lafferty. "And that is not the case when you put individuals who struggle with gender identity [into classrooms]." She argues that transgender people are "psychologically unhealthy individuals" who shouldn't be "forced on children and parents" in schools around the country. 

And of course the Family Research Council gets into the act via an email alert which spun other tales of lies:

ENDA would force religious business owners and workplaces such as Christian bookstores, religious publishing houses, pre-schools and religious television and radio stations to accept as normal any employee who has had a sex-change surgery, any employee who has changed or is "transitioning" their public "gender identity" (regardless of whether they have had surgery or hormone treatments), transvestites (people who dress as the opposite sex on an occasional basis for emotional or sexual gratification), and drag queens or drag kings (people who dress as the opposite sex for the purpose of entertaining others).

Making matters worse, "perceived gender identity" status does not require sex-change surgery, so ENDA would allow some biological males (who claim to be female) to enter and even appear nude before females in bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers. Situations like this have already been reported in several states with ENDA like laws such as Maine, Colorado and California.

We had better get ready to hear more of this junk. It's all a matter of fear tactics.

Regarding "religious business owners," that's too broad of a field for my taste. Anyone employed in or owning a secular business should not get religious exemptions, no matter what their personal beliefs may be.  Tax dollars are being used to protect these businesses, i.e. the police department and the fire department, etc. And the last time I checked, LGBTs pay taxes.

Regarding bathrooms, locker room, and showers, let me ask you one question. We hear horror stories of what could happen, but have we ever heard any actual stories of things like this happening. Notice how FRC is deliberately vague about that. I can honestly tell you that here in Columbia, SC where there is a trans-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance, we have never had these problems. Transgender men and women aren't predators. They aren't trying to "sneak a peak."  They go about their business not trying to draw attention to themselves . . . just like everyone else.

Now about the biggie, i.e. schools employing transgender teachers. Let's ask ourselves an honest question about that? Just what harm would it do to children? Is there any case of children being harmed by being taught by a transgender teacher. Goodness knows, there are more than enough cases of parents freaking out over the possibility. But has the possibility ever become the actuality?

In 2010 Lafferty actually tried to dig up cases of children being harmed by transgender teachers. She cited three. However, as with the case of so many religious right spokesperson, she gave the cases inaccurate spins. I took it upon myself to dig deep and found that none of the cases involved children being harmed. In fact, what actually happened was that many of the children and their parents supported the teachers and a lot of the controversy and angry noise came from folks who didn't even have children attending the schools.

But who cares about truth, huh? It's a sad day when those who call themselves Christians and children of God appeal to fears and distortions rather than truth and love, especially to deny their fellow men and women their God-given right to equality.




 

'Anti-gay pastor denies comments even AFTER they were caught on audio and video' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Editor's note - I am pretty sure that folks have noticed that I haven't blogging as much as I have in the past.  I have been derelict in that department because I have been prepping my booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America, for a major national award nomination. On Monday, I will mail off the final paperwork. Wish me luck.

E.W. Jackson Resorts To Lying To Duck Questions About Anti-Gay Rhetoric - VA lt. governor nominee and anti-gay pastor has denied that he ever called gays sick and that God will stop blessing the military over gay rights. But there is one problem with his denials. He is ON AUDIO AND VIDEOTAPE making both statements. Sorry, Jackson but being a pastor doesn't give you the Jedi mind trick.

 10 Myths Conservatives Spread In Opposition To LGBT Employment Protections - Here are ten more conservative lies about ENDA.

Meet The Pacific Justice Institute, The California Group Behind Fox’s Anti-LGBT Horror Stories - Here is a look at the big bad "Christian" organization who resorts to smearing transgender children.

Orson Scott Card Calls Backlash To Anti-Gay Views 'Savage, Lying Deceptive Personal Attacks' - Now come on, Orson. You started it. Be honest.

 Maggie Gallagher Believes Her Fight Will Be Fully Lost Within Two Years - That's a nice thought. 

Trans Teen Won't Be Homecoming King, But Can Start a GSA - LGBT children are changing the world for the better!

'Top 10 Religious Right lies about ENDA' and other Wednesday afternoon news briefs

Last Three Democrat Holdouts To Support ENDA - There will be a vote on ENDA in the Senate and all the Democrats there support it. But you know what this means . . .

The ENDA is Near: The Top Ten Religious Right Claims About the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (UPDATED) - THIS is what the vote means. As much as you probably don't want to (and I don't blame you, familiarize yourselves with these ludicrous arguments because you will be hearing them soon.  

Yanel Valenzuela, Transgender Woman, Allegedly Barred From LA Fitness Locker Room - It was downright nasty how this young lady was done wrong.  

How Unjust Family Laws Are Keeping LGBT Parents Away From Their Children - Bar none, the scariest thing an LGBT parent will probably ever read.  

Good News: We Can All Stop Worrying About Bullying Now - Pay attention, boys and girls. This is how you use a strawman argument to minimize a huge problem.

The Family Research Council publishes sadly neutered piece on marriage

The Family Research Council and other religious right groups will have you to believe that recent victories by the lgbt community regarding marriage equality is the result of an immoral collusion between us and so-called activists judges.

But a recent "analysis" by FRC gives a good indication of why these groups have been getting practically destroyed in the courts.

The analysis, Complementarity in Marriage: What it is and Why it Matters, was written by FRC Senior Vice President Rob Schwarzwalder and has to be the most oblivious piece of anything I have ever read. The first excerpts gives you a clue:
 

Men and women are different.

This self-evident and clichéd claim is no longer as uncontroversial as, historically, it once was. According to a 2011 report from the American Psychological Association,

Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of being male, female, or something else; gender expression refers to the way a person communicates gender identity to others through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice, or body characteristics ... Transgender people experience their transgender identity in a variety of ways and may become aware of their transgender identity at any age. 

This statement includes a reference to an undefined but apparently defining “internal sense” and the concurrent argument that one can recognize his or her transgenderism “at any age.” Such an assumption has stunning implications for the way law, society, and family all function. But before we examine that assumption, let’s start here: what’s the deal with exclusively male- female unions? 

Men and women are different? No kidding.

And it goes on like that for seven pages, carrying on different variations of the tired argument that "men and women complement each other and their function is to get married, have children, and raise children while living together as husband and wife."

It's an argument the lgbt community has heard so many times that a lot of us can probably recite it fro memory. Never mind that it's an argument which does not speak to a reality where not all couples are married or have children and not all children have both parents or at least one parent in the home.

This analysis doesn't hardly touch same-sex relationship except to say that if the door is opened for it, we could be seeing things like polygamous relationships and a vague reference to how children "need both a mother and a father."

And therein lies the problem. Where is the concrete evidence that marriage equality would prevent male/female relationships, harm male/female relationships, or harm children who are already in same-sex families.

FRC doesn't say a word about that reality. It's as if the organization refuses to comprehend that the latter (children in same-sex households) don't exist.

In short, this analysis is more neutered than a stereotypical 1950s husband after his harridan of a wife has bashed him over the head a few times with a rolling pin.

The truth is clear.  Marriage equality is not a danger to society and FRC knows it. And in writing this junk analysis, Schwarzwalder and FRC have obviously given up on their attempts to raise a false alarm. At least this time.

Are we finally getting to them?

'CA conservatives continue to target transgender children' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

California Conservatives Fabricate Another Story About Transgender Restroom Harassment - Some of the worst bullies wear the cloak of religion. 

ANOTHER PJI-backed signature gatherer caught LYING about trans kids - See item one. This one is worse, though. (Editor's note - careful about the autoplay)

State Senate committee passes same sex marriage bill - Hawaii's on the road to doing the right thing.  

NY Post Celebrates Stephen Jimenez's Matthew Shepard Trutherism - Apparently according to NY Post columnist Andrea Peyser, Stephen Jimenez is "the most dangerous gay journalist on Earth." Well every newspaper has "ONE (modesty precludes me from going further)" and Andrea Peyser is it for the Post.

 Gay Parents Are Like '5-Year-Olds Who Think They Can Drive Cars,' Apostle Paul David Rodgers Claims - Forget that dumb comment for a second. Just when did Jesus make this man an "apostle?"

ENDA opposition rests on extreme transphobia, homophobia

It's no secret that religious right groups cannot stand ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act).

But the depths they have stooped to in order to stop it seems to fall under one theme. This theme can be best described by simply showing you the various anti-ENDA graphics sent out by religious right groups over the years.

Have you figured it out yet? It's kinda sad how low some supposed Christian groups will stoop in order to stop a sensible law from being passed.

Seven times the Family Research Council has distorted ENDA

Tony Perkins of FRC

It has been announced that ENDA will be coming up again soon:

Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Monday that he will be bringing legislation banning anti-LGBT employment discrimination to the floor for consideration before Thanksgiving. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban most employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, was passed out of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee with bipartisan support earlier this year. Reid, in announcing the plans for this work session, said the Senate would be considering the legislation.

Part of me cringes because I know that this means we will be hearing all sorts of things about "Christians being persecuted" for not serving gays and "Christian nursery schools being forced to hire crossdressers."

In other words, anti-gay groups are going to go nuclear, as they always do when ENDA comes up, with the horror stories of  gays wanting to jail "Christians" and transgender men and women supposedly wanting to corrupt children.

But another part of me says "bring it on" because I've got a litany of stuff I can pull from past religious right actions against ENDA legislation, such as what I am about to present today by revisiting the seven times the Family Research Council have distorted ENDA:


1. Family Research Council deliberately misinterpret words of Obama official to discredit ENDA - The Family Research Council deliberately distorts the words of John Berry is President Obama's director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to claim that the passage of ENDA will lead to an overturning of DOMA.

2. Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA - In testimony against ENDA, FRC head Tony Perkins uses anecdotes and distorts a study on lgbt health.

3. Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA - The Family Research Council exploits the presidential appointment of transgender Amanda Simpson to call ENDA a "Crossdresser Protection Bill."

4.  Family Research Council getting extremely 'scary' about ENDA - FRC channels the image of the Grim Reaper to assist in its lies about ENDA.

5.  Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA - FRC falsely calls ENDA the Discrimination Against Christian Workers Act and uses one-sided anecdotes of people fired supposedly for their Christian beliefs.

6.  FRC: Gays and lesbians shouldn't be employed in 'some' jobs - When FRC says "ENDA would mandate the employment of homosexuals in inappropriate occupations," are they implying the homosexuality = pedophilia lie?

7.  Family Research Council gearing up to fight ENDA with distortions - blah, blah, blah, the "crossdressers" and liberals are trying to silence Christians.

'Discredited anti-gay researcher Paul Cameron addresses Russia parliamentarians' and other Monday midday news briefs

Discredited U.S. Anti-Gay Activist Addresses Russian Parliamentarians Over “Family Values” - Looks like Paul Cameron has come to Russia. Things over there just got uglier. Check out the article for the 411 about Cameron but let me give you a taste of his "studies." Amongst other things, Cameron believes that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums. We laugh at the inanity of it, but Russia is passing laws because of it.  Check out this Southern Poverty Law Center profile on Paul Cameron and yes, his organization is a designated hate group.

A Quick Guide To The Research On Same-Sex Parenting (As Presented To The Federal Courts) - In spite of all their lies, the fact that same-sex parenting benefits children is the steel wall that religious right groups can't break past. 

Male cheerleader forced to quit, change schools over 'gay' bullying - Oh come on, folks!  

The Hidden History Of Same-Sex Marriage In Asia - A fascinating piece.

Know Your LGBT History - Famous transgender men and women throughout history

The transgender community does not get its due when it comes to lgbt equality.  I hope these spotlights would pique interest into getting educated on issues involving our transgender brothers and sisters:


  


 Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Transgender teen attacked by anti-gay group now on suicide watch' and other Friday midday news briefs

Anti-LGBT Group Continues Targeting Transgender Teen On Suicide Watch For ‘Unhealthy Behavior’ - This is terrible and something should be done about it! They lied on this young lady and even after this, they just don't care.
 
 Carrabba's Italian Grill Waiter Receives Anti-Gay Message From Customers In Lieu Of Tip - The message read:

“Thank you for your service, it was excellent.That being said, we cannot in good conscience tip you, for your homosexual lifestyle is an affront to GOD. Queers do not share in the wealth of GOD, and you will not share in ours. We hope you will see the tip your fag choices made you lose out on, and plan accordingly. It is never too late for GOD’S love, but none shall be spared for fags. May GOD have mercy on you.”

'The Hill' runs FRC's opinion, helps push factually inaccurate smears - I disagree with what Jeremy Hooper is implying here. Instead of raising hell when opinions expressed by those in the Family Research Council appear in mainstream publications, we should engage them openly and fiercely. As a matter of fact, why even wait until after these inaccurate opinions are lodged. Call them out first! Demand the war of rhetoric!

Cindy Meneghin And Maureen Kilian, High School Sweethearts, Receive New Jersey Marriage License - Because we should all have the right to marry our high school sweethearts.

Fox News reporter Todd Starnes 'pimpin' for anti-gay hate groups

Todd Starnes

It's bad enough that Fox News reporter Todd Starnes engages in bad reporting in order to push a false narrative of anti-Christian bigotry.

But now, he is using his role as a reporter to fundraise for anti-gay hate groups such as the Family Research Council. According to Equality Matters:

On the October 23 edition of FRC’s Washington Watch radio program, FRC president Tony Perkins invited Starnes on to once again falsely accuse the military of persecuting Christian groups because of their opposition to homosexuality. At the end of the segment, Starnes – who has acted as a de facto mouth piece for AFA and FRC on Fox – encouraged listener to “pick up that phone and throw a few dollars into the cause” by donating to the notorious anti-gay groups:

STARNES: Tony, I want to thank American Family Radio. This is a share-a-thon.There’s a reason why we need groups like Family Research Council, why we need folks like American Family Radio. Get the word out there, airing my daily commentaries. So folks, pick up that phone and throw a few dollars into the cause.

Even if this crap is legal, I know that it cannot be ethical.  But I predicted this a while back and it has come to pass. Now the religious right has a network (Fox News) and a reporter (Todd Starnes) with which it can funnel its anti-gay lies without courtesy of correction or debate.

So if you think that nonsense about anti-Christian persecution in the military is bad, just wait. I think we will see worse.

'Other American anti-gay groups met with author of Russian anti-gay bill' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Focus On The Family, Alliance Defending Freedom, NOM Leaders Reportedly Met With Author Of Russian 'Homosexual Propaganda' Bill - This is big. More American religious right groups met with the author of that awful Russian anti-gay bill, including Focus on the Family and Alliance Defending Freedom. Now here is where our media should DEMAND some answers. What the hell were they doing?

 Bryan Fischer calls GLAAD 'sinister,' 'evil'; GLAAD clearly doing something right - GLAAD has Bryan Fischer running scared. My only regret is that I don't have a part in this. I hate missing a good religious right spokesperson beatdown!

 How The Incendiary Rhetoric Against Transgender Youth Is Escalating - We need to pay attention to this. It has the potential to lead to some awful consequences. 

Growing Up Gay In The 'Rigid, Hard, Tough' World Of Black Masculinity (VIDEO) - We need more stories like this.  

NOM has no love for Christie - Apparently the National Organization for Marriage doesn't like Chris Christie "nor his mama."

The Liberty Counsel scares the money out of guillible Christians

This video is brought to you by the anti-gay organization The Liberty Counsel. This is how they make their money - scaring the hell out of gullible Christians. For the record, the situations involving a pastor being arrested for preaching against homosexuality and a student "forced" to dress up as a member of the opposite sex has never happened.

And they never will. But don't say that too loud. The Liberty Counsel needs to get paid.

'Meet the newest anti-gay spokesperson on the rise' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Meet Janet Mefferd, The Go-To Radio Host For Anti-LGBT Hate Mongers - The lgbt community has too many folks attacking us for simply being who we are. We should stop pussyfooting and call them out. You ignore them and they will only get more powerful, no matter how outrageous they get. 

Rachel Maddow Reports On NOM’s Terrible Day In New Jersey - Thank you, Rachel Maddow for putting attention where it should be. 

 South Carolina gay blogger has his mind on a million and a million on his mind - If you didn't read my post from last night, here is another chance. Why? Because IT IS IMPORTANT.  

FedEx, Other Gay-Friendly Companies Partner With Anti-Gay Leader On Energy Lobbying - Careful, gay-friendly companies. You let the devil ride and then he is going to want to drive.

Brian Camenker, Right-Wing Pundit, Blames LGBT Russians For Anti-Gay Violence - Brian Camenker is a FREAK! I will admit I deserve boos and maybe even some tomatoes for my Nina Simone interpretations but NO ONE deserves to be made a victim of violence for any reason.  

Klingenschmitt: Transgender CO Student Is Visually 'Raping' Girls By Using The Locker Room - OMG! I wish they stop picking on this innocent young lady!

South Carolina gay blogger has his mind on a million and a million on his mind

The first experience South Carolina blogger Alvin McEwen had of hanging out with a group of gay men was not a good one.

“It was one of those college groups devoted to give gay men a place to talk and be out of the closet.  When I walked into the room and sat down, I immediately took off my glasses so I couldn’t look any of them in the face. That’s how ashamed I was of being gay. I had been taken in by all of the negative talk around campus and especially on television voiced by people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. It’s kind of sad how we as a community either laugh these experiences off or don’t talk about them.”

That day serves as a stark memory to McEwen 20 year later as he devotes a considerable amount of time and effort in exposing the anti-gay propaganda which once made him ashamed of being a gay man.

“No one should feel what I felt back then,” he said.

Since 2007, McEwen has been blog master of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, a site which focuses on refuting anti-gay propaganda spread by religious right groups.  However late last year, Mc Ewen felt as if he was in a rut. He felt that he was going nowhere constantly refuting anti-gay propaganda only to hear religious right spokespeople repeat the propaganda. He asked himself many times just what good was he doing.

McEwen also felt that there needed to be something which put religious right propaganda in a new perspective. In  January of this year, he published an online booklet entitled How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

How They See Us is the first of its kind – a free online booklet which challenges religious right

propaganda, including claims that a large number of pedophiles are gay or gay men have a very high number of sex partners – but with an original twist. Instead of writing long-winded refutations, McEwen used the graphic images created by anti-gay groups and words uttered by their spokespeople to demonstrate just how ludicrously wrong their claims are. In addition, he also traced the multiple times in which researchers have cried foul over the distortion of their work by anti-gay groups.

“The point of How They See Us is simple,” McEwen said. “Religious right groups today are constantly spinning tales of gay calamities and horror stories. Then they hide behind the idea of ‘deeply held religious beliefs.’  But I found proof from 1986 which demonstrates that it’s all a big lie designed to exploit religious beliefs and fears.”

The proof McEwen speaks of is a 1986 anti-gay comic book which was endorsed by a former Congressman, William Dannemeyer, and Beverly LaHaye, founder of the anti-gay group Concerned Women for America. The comic book which makes up a large part of his booklet , contradicts any claim one hears from anti-gay groups that they are acting in “Christian love.” McEwen takes various images from the comic book and compares it to present day religious right rhetoric about gays, proving that there is no difference between the two.

“Graphic images of hate just gave way to words of hate,” McEwen said, “and none of it is Christian.”

When it was first published, How They See Us caught the attention of a few lgbt bloggers as well as  several lgbt and progressive news sources, yielding some attention. When this attention died down, McEwen began an aggressive Facebook and twitter campaign in order to keep the booklet in the public eye.  This campaign has paid off.

Presently, How They See Us has over 58,000 direct readers and over 671,000 fans who read it from embedded sources.  It also has over 700 downloads.

However, the progression of How They See Us has not been smooth. One problem McEwen had is how little attention his booklet attracted from the mainstream lgbt media such The Advocate and Out magazines and mainstream lgbt organizations such as GLAAD and HRC.

In all honesty though, McEwen really doesn’t view this as a problem.

“Gay organizations and magazines have a lot of other things on their plates, and I certainly don’t blame them for that,” he said. “Plus, I may not have been able to get away with as much as I did if I had teamed with them. I may have been forced to tone it down.”

But McEwen sees the second problem as a danger to the lgbt community. He said there seems to be reluctance in calling out religious right groups until after the fact when the damage is done.

“We don’t take care of business before these organizations get a foothold in local communities and in the media,” McEwen said. “Then after these groups have done their damage, we either gripe or attempt to cram something together. Why the hell are we waiting until they make the first move?”

McEwen attributes it to too many members of the lgbt community being extremely blasé and then raising hell when these anti-gay groups and their spokespeople are interviewed on the major news networks.

 “When we hear that MSNBC or FOX or CNN will be interviewing people like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council or Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, we demand that they don’t do it on the grounds that these are hate groups. That’s a huge mistake.  Instead of saying that these organizations get no time, we should be demanding equal time. If NOM or FRC has someone on these shows, we should be demanding that representatives from HRC or GLAAD be included. We cannot begin to eradicate anti-gay propaganda until we stop running from it. We may not take it seriously, but a lot of others do and our silence only hurts us in this matter.”

How They See Us is free to the public and McEwen has even emailed several adobe acrobat copies to individuals who have problems with downloading the online file. Anyone wishing to have a copy can email him at Charlekenghis@aol.com

While McEwen’s immediate goal is to attract one million readers, he has larger aspirations. He wants to transform the debate on lgbt equality.

“Why is it when there is a debate on lgbt equality, the gay community seems to always be on the defensive,” McEwen said. “We aren’t doing anything wrong. We aren’t the ones lying or cherry-picking research. The point of the debate should never be ‘why are gays deserving of this or that.’ The onus of the debate should fall on these so-called morality groups.  I would like to hear their explanations of not only why they feel that gays shouldn’t have equality, but why do they call themselves Christians when one takes into account the levels of lies and deception they engage in.”

'Opponents of San Antonio pro-gay law fail to get enough signatures to force referendum' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Local effort to force referendum on NDO fails, not enough signatures - Was meaning to mention this earlier. This is awesome that the pro-lgbt law in San Antonio will be upheld.  

San Antonio Judge Bolts GOP Over Anti-LGBT Extremism - Good for him!

 Dr. Chaps Is Running For Office! - Another anti-gay pundit is running for public office. Sorry but as kinky as it sounds, I would not vote for anyone who has the nickname of "Dr. Chaps."

A third of the US population has marriage equality - Sweet!  

Chris Christie Gay Marriage Move Stirs GOP - It will surprise you.

Meet the 'ex-gay' former Satanic drag queen who isn't exactly 'ex-gay'

Meet the Trace McNutt, a self-described former Satanic drag queen who recently received a "Courage award" from Voice for the Voiceless, the "ex-gay" group behind the recently unsuccessful lobby day and banquet on Capitol Hill a while back.

And one more thing, according to another interview, he isn't exactly "ex-gay."